Welcome to the Brew on Thursday September 22nd.
By: Samuel Wonacott
Here’s what’s in store for you as you start your day:
- Follow the interface between politics and business with our Economy and Society newsletter
- Battlefield Preview: Evers, Michels running for governor of Wisconsin
- Minnesota’s Democratic triplex is at stake, with voters deciding elections for governor, attorney general and secretary of state
Follow the interface between politics and business with our Economy and Society newsletter
Business and politics have long been among the most powerful forces in our society. The relationship between the two is constantly changing – reflecting both the dynamics of the US economy and the political response to it.
We’ve seen instances of this developing relationship in recent news. In some states, executive branch officials are questioning the use of environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) investment strategies in their public pension plans. Elsewhere, the owner of outdoor gear maker Patagonia has transferred control of the company to a trust that will use all future profits to help fight climate change.
Understanding the latest news, policies, regulations, legal challenges and more has been a huge challenge. But we’re here to help.
Our free, weekly Business and Society newsletter is designed to help government relations and finance professionals, academics and the general public understand the issues, policies and policies that shape the nexus between business and government.
In every issue of Economy and Society, our team of policy experts brings you the latest news and insights on topics such as:
- Corporate activism and the political responses to it
- The politics surrounding ESG
- The role of public pension funds in social debates
- Curated selection of the latest scholarship and research on political economy
- And much more!
The bottom line: Economy and Society is your one-stop shop for the information you need to understand corporate politics and the business of politics.
Best of all, Economy and Society is produced the Ballotpedia way – factual, neutral and comprehensive.
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Battlefield Preview: Evers, Michels running for governor of Wisconsin
We’re previewing crucial battleground elections across the country leading up to Election Day. Today we look at the Wisconsin gubernatorial election – one of 12 gubernatorial battlegrounds this year.
Incumbent Governor Tony Evers (D) and Tim Michels (R) are running the election.
Evers was elected in 2018, defeating the then governor. Scott Walker (R) 49.5% to 48.4%. Before becoming governor, Evers served as Superintendent of Public Instruction in Wisconsin for 10 years and before that as Assistant Superintendent for eight years. Evers’ campaign website says he’s “worked to bring people together around sensible solutions that make Wisconsin stronger,” and calls for “signing a bipartisan income tax cut, repairing thousands of miles of roads and bridges, into apprenticeships and job training programs.” to invest and increase resources for our public schools” among his accomplishments. Evers was unchallenged in the Democratic primary.
Michels, a 12-year US Army veteran, is a co-owner and vice president of an energy and infrastructure construction company. Michels says he is “a businessman, not a politician”. After winning the Republican nomination, Michels said, “[T]His race has always been about… standing up for the hard-working people of Wisconsin. They have been left behind by the Democratic Party, which only wants to focus on social issues. From my first day in office to my very last day as governor, jobs and the economy will be my number one priority.”
Independent forecasters say the election is a homicide. Post-primary polls have not shown either candidate by a statistically significant margin. As of July 25, the most recent date for which campaign funding data is available, Evers has raised $21,708,994 on Michels’ $12,018,573.
Politically, Wisconsin is one of the most competitive states in the country. Four of the six Presidential elections since 2000 have been won by less than a percentage point. Wisconsin has a Democratic triplex and a divided trifecta. The Democratic Party controls the offices of governor, secretary of state and attorney general. The Republican Party controls both houses of the state legislature. When Evers was elected in 2018, Republicans had controlled the state government for eight years. Before that, the Democrats had a trifecta for two years. Democrats won a triplex in Wisconsin in 2018 when Democratic candidates defeated Republican incumbents in the governor and attorney general elections and the Democratic secretary of state was reelected.
Wisconsin is one of seven states where the lieutenant governor is nominated in a separate primary but runs in the general election with the gubernatorial nominee on one card. State Senator Roger Roth (R) and State Assembly Member Sara Rodriguez (D) run for Lieutenant Governor.
Click below to learn more about the Wisconsin gubernatorial election.
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Early voting for the Minnesota general election begins September 23
Today is day 18 of our 50 States in 50 Days series and we introduce Minnesota, the North Star State.
First week: Pennsylvania, Indiana, South Dakota, Nebraska, North Dakota
Second week: California, Georgia, Texas, Montana
Week Three: North Carolina, Virginia, New Mexico, Illinois, Idaho
Week four: Kentucky, Michigan, Arkansas
On the ballot in Minnesota
At the federal level, voters in Minnesota will elect eight US representatives. Minnesota is one of 15 states without a US Senate seat up for election this year. At the state level, voters elect a governor, a lieutenant governor, an attorney general, a secretary of state, and an auditor.
All 67 districts of the state Senate and all 134 districts of the House of Representatives are up for election in the state parliament. 63 districts in both chambers are open. That equates to 31% of the state’s legislature, an increase from the previous four election cycles.
There are also two seats on the Supreme Court up for election. Minnesota is one of 30 states that host Supreme Court elections.
Redistribute highlights
Minnesota was allocated eight seats in the U.S. House of Representatives after the 2020 census, the same number as after the 2010 census.
Congressional and general elections in the states will be held under new district lines after the census. You can use our side-by-side map comparison tool to instantly see what redistribution looks like in your state. Here are the convention tickets valid before and after Minnesota’s 2020 redistribution cycle:
To use our tool to view Minnesota state legislature maps in effect before and after the 2020 redistribution cycle, visit our Minnesota Redistribution Page.
partisan balance
- Minnesota U.S. Senators – Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith – are Democrats.
- The Minnesota House of Representatives delegation is split 4-4 between Republicans and Democrats.
- Republicans have a 34-31 majority in the state Senate. A Senator is independent and there is currently one vacancy. The Democrats hold a 69-63 majority in the House of Representatives. One state representative is independent and one position is currently vacant.
- Minnesota has had a Democratic governor since 2011.
- Because the governor is a Democrat, Minnesota is one of 13 split-government states where neither party has trifecta control. Minnesota has had a divided government since 2014 after the Republican Party captured the House of Representatives and broke the state’s Democratic trifecta.
- Along with the governor, the secretary of state and attorney general are also Democrats, making the state one of 18 with a Democratic triplex among those offices.
Seats only contested by one major party
In 2022, 26 state seats in Minnesota, or 13% of all seats up for election, have no major party competition. If a candidate from just one of the Democratic or Republican parties runs for a seat in a state legislature, the seat is almost guaranteed to be won by that party.
Democrats run in 96% of all state general elections. Eight state seats (4% of all state seats) have no Democratic candidate and a Republican is likely to win.
Republicans run in 91% of all state general elections. Eighteen seats (9% of all state seats) have no Republican candidate and a Democrat is likely to win.
key race
- Minnesota’s 2nd congressional district: Incumbent Angie Craig (D) takes on Tyler Kistner (R) and Paula Overby (Legal Marijuana Now Party). Craig was first elected in 2018. Craig defeated Kistner 48.2% to 45.9% in 2020.
- Minnesota gubernatorial election: Incumbent Tim Walz (D), Scott Jensen (R), Steve Patterson (Grassroots-Legalize Cannabis Party of Minnesota), Hugh McTavish (Independence Party of Minnesota), James McCaskel (Legal Marijuana Now Party) and Gabrielle Prosser ( Socialist Labor Party) running for governor. Walz was first elected in 2018. Since 1990, Minnesota has had two Democratic governors, two Republican governors, and one Reform Party governor. Minnesota’s two most recent presidential elections, both won by Democrats, were decided by seven percentage points or less. Tim Pawlenty (R), who served from 2003 to 2011, was Minnesota’s last Republican governor.
- Minnesota Attorney General Election: Incumbent Keith Ellison (D) is up against Jim Schultz (R). Ellison, a former US Representative, was first elected attorney general in 2018.
- Minnesota Secretary of State election: Incumbent Steve Simon (D) is running against Kim Crockett (R) in the general election. Simon was first elected in 2014.
Choose
- Polling stations open at 7:00 a.m. and close at 8:00 p.m
- Minnesota does not require voters to identify themselves when voting. For more information on Minnesota voter ID requirements, visit click here.
- Early voting runs from September 23rd to November 7th.
- The deadline for in-person voter registration is November 8th. The deadline for registering by mail or online is October 18th.
- There are no eligibility requirements to vote absentee in Minnesota. There is no specific deadline for applying for postal voting. A completed ballot must be returned on or before Election Day in order for it to be counted. To check the status of your ballot, click here.
Want to know more about the elections you’ll be voting in this year? click here to use our sample ballot lookup tool!
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